Shoppers have a lot of visual stimulation vying for their attention. Signs, graphics, apps, exterior displays, inflatable tube men, employees outside the door - sometimes it’s easiest to cut through all of the visual clutter by simply returning to the stores and restaurants that we know. This puts pressure on business owners to find new ways to stand-out to and attract casual shoppers who might otherwise walk on by.
That’s where digital window graphics can help. This proven medium can be used to turn passerbys into brand advocates. And that starts with getting them in the door.
Let’s look at some things that can be done by installing digital storefront window graphics to increase foot traffic in retail establishments, restaurants, and other businesses..
A good window graphic should convey more than a direct message. That’s not to say that it shouldn’t tell people there is a sale or that a new product is launching or a seasonal favorite is back on the menu. Those messages are important but they are singular and segmented. They only tell a small part of your company’s story and if that’s all that they displayed they would really only be speaking to people who already know who you are and what you do.
To capture the attention and command the interest of those just passing by, your window graphics need to do more than just display a message, they need to set the stage for what’s inside. Using colors, design, textures, placement, and the right window film materials you can present your company personality in a fun and inviting way. Use window graphics to make a statement which is, in itself, a message.
By focusing not just on a traditional message, but the way it’s presented, you can capture a person’s attention with an invitation.
There is a saying “go big or go home” that could be twisted slightly to “go big and bring them home” as a type of mantra for developing window graphics. Going big isn’t just about scaling up the size of the graphics, it’s using vibrant colors, larger images, and pulling up shapes from the back of the brand book. It means doing what you can, while staying true to the brand aesthetic and voice, to grab a potential patron’s attention.
When utilizing window graphics for storefronts, it can be worthwhile to play with how and where those graphics are applied. Traditionally window graphics sit in the center of a pane. As shoppers, we have become conditioned to always seeing some message or design in that space. But if you can use the full canvas that is available to you and place window graphics running along the side or in the corner, a shopper passing by has to slow down to register what they are seeing. Getting them to stop in front of your business is the first step towards getting them to step inside.
If your building has multiple windows, particularly ones that wrap around a corner, you can use window graphics to tell a short story. Each window can be a chapter of a story with the end (and a new beginning) leading up to the main entrance.
Consider the holiday season. On one window you can introduce your character. The next window is an image of them wrapping a gift. This is followed by a third window where they give the gift and a fourth window is a graphic showing the joy the recipient has. This leads the viewer/shopper right up to the main entrance. The message being “step inside and find a gift to make someone you know happy.” It’s subtle yet can be effective.
And older shoppers, who remember going window shopping will be excited to pass that tradition down in a 21st century way through your window graphic storywalk.
One of the worst things you can do is create a false promise with your digital window graphics. In an effort to attract more walk-in shoppers you’ll want to use your window graphics as a tease of what’s inside. You want people walking by to see something of themselves, either a direct representation or a “feeling,” that entices them to stroll in. You don’t want to do this with misdirection or a hinting at an experience that doesn’t exist because you may get people to step inside but they won’t be there for long.
Digital window graphics can do more than just proclaim who your business is and what you can do. They can be an outward extension of your brand, helping to pique people’s interest in what’s behind the doors.
To learn more about the potential that window films can hold for increasing your business, schedule a meeting with the experts at LINTEC of America.